Over the course of this half term, our Year 2 students have been learning all about the Great Fire of London, and have been taking part in and creating all manner of activities, art and design works focussed on this theme.
The Great Fire of London was a major event in English history: a fire that started in a little bakery in Pudding Lane on Sunday 2nd September, that developed into an inferno that swept through the city, destroying medieval London, including the old St. Paul's Cathedral. The fire raged for five whole days and left the city in ruins. While it is a dramatic historic event, it provides much to consider for our young students today - how did such a disaster occur, what lessons were learnt from it, how buildings used to be built before the fire, and what changes were made in construction styles and designs afterwards; how we tackle fires today and what is best practice to ensure fire safety.
As part of their studies, the Year 2 class wrote and illustrated some beautiful journalistic reports about the fire. They also had a visit from Sherfield parent and Berkshire firefighter Paul, who discussed how firefighting has changed over time. Paul was able to demonstrate (with the help of Mrs. Dransfield to model!) all of the kit and procedures used by our fire service today. (Thank you Paul for running this fantastic session!) As a final activity of the term, the pupils crafted their own historical London buildings, which they took with them to Forest School and watched how quickly they burned in a recreation of the great conflagration!
It was a fitting end to a dramatic theme this term. We can't wait to see what they have in store for 2022!